Being a vegetarian traveller is an advantage as well as a disadvantage. The good part is that we’re less likely to get food poisoned, as meat is often badly cooked and tend to have a lot of bacterias and bugs on it.
The downside however, is that there often isn’t much to choose between on the menu, your choice stands between a salad, a Margarita pizza or French Fries.
That’s why I have made a list of the top 6 countries to visit for vegetarian food lovers.
Top 6 Countries For Vegetarian Food Lovers:
India
India is a vegetarian heaven. I remember having dinner with a group westerners in India. They were all meat eaters, and wouldn’t stop complaining of the lack of food choice; Lamb, or lamb? I was surprised and said that I thought there were heaps of choices of food. ”Yes, for you who are vegetarian maybe, but not for us!”, as if meat eaters couldn’t eat vegetables…
However, being a vegetarian in India doesn’t raise any eyebrows. In fact, instead of having vegetarian choices on the menu, they have a section for Non-vegetarian…
Malaysia
One of my strongest memories from Kuala Lumpur was when we went to a vegetarian restaurant that only had duck and ham on the menu, but I found out later that it was all vegetarian. It was kind of like the western people’s Quorn, it reminds you of duck but it’s made of something else. Malaysia is known for the best cuisine in South East Asia, their food is inspired from China, India and Europe – a pretty cool mix.
United Kingdom
They’re known for having the most advanced vegetarian cultures in the world. I would guess it’s because of two reasons; They have a widely mixed population with people from all over the world, and they are ahead of other countries in the food thinking and have caught on the latest trends.
More and more westerners are realizing how much healthier it is to eat vegetarian based food, so there are heaps of Health food- and Raw food restaurants to choose from. I wouldn’t call their ‘native’ food vegetarian, but as good as every restaurant and fast food place have vegetarian options.
Israel
Israeli restaurants abide by the ‘Kosher’ laws, meaning they don’t serve pork or shellfish. Plus my favourites falafel and hummus are available everywhere!
Thailand
Even if chicken seems to be the most common food, you can easily get around being a vegetarian. Many of the dishes are prepared with fish sauce, but for those who don’t like that, you can most often ask to have it made with another sauce.
Canada
Apparently, Toronto is said to be the most diverse city in the world, and there are heaps of vegetarian choices from all kinds of cultures. A bit like London I guess.
If you have been to any other countries which you have found Vegetarian-Friendly, you can post them in the comments below!
Great list, I love vegetarian food while I am on the road especially in Indian
Great list, I love vegetarian food while I am on the road especially in Indian
Thanks jase! I love indian food too, if i could only eat the same meal for the rest of my life i would choose a plate with various indian dishes… Yumm…!
Thanks jase! I love indian food too, if i could only eat the same meal for the rest of my life i would choose a plate with various indian dishes… Yumm…!
It does seem like more and more people these days are becoming vegetarians for various reasons. I think it is fine I mean to each their own, but i am a fan of meat and always will be.
hey – yeah Bali was a great place, we just got really sick when we where there, so that sorta left a sour spot in our mouths :p those organic restaurants sound great, we will be back there soon so will make sure to check them out!
Great post. You can also add Bali to your list. Also more and more organic restaurants popping up in Bali.
Nice to see Canada on your list
I'm from Halifax. I'll have to check out the veggie scene next time I'm there.
Italy is great for veggies too. Even though they don't actually understand the concept there are always loads of veggie options – especially the antipasti plates in the south.
I'll second Canada, both Toronto and Vancouver have lots of vegetarian options. I'm surprised India wasn't on the list. I haven't gone yet but I'm considering eating no meat while there as there are so many options and I've heard its better food safety wise.
Hey Erin! I've found it pretty easy finding vegetarian options in Italy too, which is great since their food is amazing! Even the simple Margheritas are works of art, and if all else would fail that's always an standing option
Haha I agree, they often don't really seem to get the concept, but they often make sure to make something vegetarian for you if there are no options on the menu – I love that!
Hey Ayngelina!
it's my absolute favorite place for vegetarian food! Yeah the options are countless, and it's funny you mention the food safety because when we were there, we were the only people in the group who didn't get sick :p
India was number 1 on the list!
yeah we stopped eating meat quite a few years ago, and seems very common these days – but like you say each to their own
India definitely number 1!! Although Nepal offered a bigger range of vegetarian food that we expected!
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